PSO Demands ISTA Bargain Over Field Staff Restructure and Preserve UniServ Representation
The Professional Staff Organization (PSO), the exclusive bargaining representative for professional employees of the Indiana State Teachers Association (ISTA), has issued a demand that ISTA bargain over its recently announced restructuring of field staff operations and maintain the status quo until its legal obligations are satisfied.
At the center of the Union’s concerns is not only the scope of the proposed changes, but management’s refusal to provide transparency to the very people who fund and depend upon the Association’s work.
“To date, no comprehensive plan has been shared with ISTA members,” said Rick Scalf, President of PSO. “And yet, while management has refused to provide a written proposal, every version they have described to us completely eliminates the UniServ Director position – a position members have relied upon for decades for representation, contract enforcement, and bargaining support. These are services paid for with members’ dues dollars, and they deserve to know what is being done in their name.”
Since their establishment, UniServ Directors have served as frontline advocates for educators at the bargaining table and in grievance and representation matters. The removal or diminishment of that role would represent a fundamental shift in how services are delivered to members across Indiana.
At the same time, management has refused to provide associate staff with meaningful information about how their positions would be impacted. Employees have been told change is coming, but have not been given clarity about assignments, workloads, reporting structures, compensation, or job security.
“One of our chief frustrations throughout this process has been management’s insistence on keeping both ISTA members and staff in the dark,” Scalf said. “Transparency is not optional in a democratic labor organization.”
PSO has demanded negotiations over the restructure because the proposed changes directly affect working conditions that are mandatory subjects of bargaining under federal labor law. The Union has also demanded that ISTA cease implementation of any aspect of the plan and maintain existing working conditions until negotiations are complete.
The Union emphasized that bargaining is not an obstacle to change – it is the vehicle through which transparency, accountability, and member input are ensured.
“If ISTA is contemplating changes of this magnitude, members deserve a voice. Staff deserve clarity. And the law requires bargaining,” Scalf said. “Collective bargaining exists precisely to ensure that decisions affecting workers and the services they provide are not made unilaterally or in secrecy.”
